A romantic getaway

Why did it have to rain today? Why today? Why when I had made plans for a romantic getaway, out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Why today?

Sadly, Mother Nature doesn’t always play along with our romantic gestures and life plans and today was no different. I had been planning this little excursion for a while and it took every bone in my body to keep it a secret.

You see, Oliver and I are in a long distance relationship, while I complete my Master Degree in Sweden, and knowing he was coming over I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a surprise. And when I stumbled across Kolabryn online I knew it would be the perfect romantic retreat!

Tucked away on the outskirts of Skinnskattesburg, Sweden Kolabryn is known to only a few. It’s a hostel with a twist inviting guests to learn more about coal making while offering them a unique experience. No water, no electricity and certainly no internet. It is a getaway in every sense of the word. It doesn’t sound like your usual romantic escape with baths and indulgent dinners but sleeping out in the woods a stone throw away from a lake sounded like all the romance we needed. And when I saw a picture of the coal-burner huts I knew it was any romantic’s dream.

Each  little charcoal burner hut houses two small beds (unfortunately no double beds, unless you stay in the cabin) and a fire place. The top of the fire place is lined with small tea candles and beds are softened with fur covers. It is basic but it’s this very simplistic setting that makes Kolabryn so special.

But now it was raining! Urg! For all my planning and anticipation it decided to rain today. But alas, it was paid for and now was the time to spill the beans. “Babe, I have a surprise”. And that was all I told him. He grinned from ear to ear and I could see the excitement building as he slowly knelt into the next, obvious question. “What is it?”

But, I couldn’t tell him just yet. So all I said was that we would be staying somewhere special tonight before punching the address into the GPS. I then apologized for the weather and desperately hoped it would clear before we arrived.

As the car crept further and further away from any sign of civilization we both started to get excited. We couldn’t contain ourselves. The road was lined with forests that seemingly went on forever with a forest floor that was soft and inviting. Soon we (and by we I mean me) forgot it was raining and allowed ourselves to be taken over by the scenery.

In a weird way the light rain contributed to the magical nature of the landscape we were seeing. The leaves were this luminescent, and everything seemed to come to life.

Soon it was time to take a right turn. “You have arrived at your destination” our nifty GPS told us. Our tires crunched along the gravel as we brought the car to a steady stop. After climbing out the car we gently closed our doors so as to not disturb the peace. “What’s that smell?” I asked while taking a deep breath. “I don’t know but it smells fantastic!” was Oliver’s ready response. The air was filled with a smoky flavor I could almost taste. It was delicious.

Soon we found our bearings and up in front of us was a pile of freshly made coal. And just beyond it a forest dotted with tiny little huts all of which were covered in grass and berries. Oliver stops and in a low tone voice says “I think we’re in the Shire!”

If ever there was something to compare Kolabryn to, the Shire, from the Lord of the Rings, would be it. It was as though we had stumbled onto some magical place were waiting for Frodo to come out and greet us.

Instead we were met by a volunteer at Kolabryn. A little lost she guided us to our coal-burner hut and explained the basic do’s and dont’s.

This was the first chance we got to explore the surroundings and both of us just kept stopping, dumbfounded by the beauty of the forest surrounding us. The forest floor was covered with blueberries and soon both our fingers and our tongues were stained. Was this paradise?

Most of the camp was heading out on a Moose Safari and considering the weather Oliver and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to exploit Kolabryn’s sauna. After chopping up our own wood we walked along the outskirts of the lake before we came to what Oliver called “the most awesome sauna in the world”.

It was romantic! We sat just the two of us in a sauna that was floating on a lake and when it got too hot we ran outside and jumped into the cool, fresh water while the light rain patted our heads. It was special and the rain was far from a deterrent. What was I so upset about?

I don’t want to leave. I couldn’t believe I had been foolish enough to only book for one night. A place like this deserves two at least!

After our sauna and another blueberry picking session we went about making some grub. The fire was already up and inside the communal hut we drank some glogg and ate like kings! With bellies full and eyes slightly blurry from the glogg it was time to hit the sack.

As the fire flickered away at our feet we slept like babies!

One of the simultaneous benefits and downfalls of dating a photographer is you are bound to have your fair share of early mornings. Shortly after 5 we both woke and were ecstatic to see the sun shining! It looked like a perfect day in the making and soon we were out the door going on an early morning hike. The view over the lake was breathtaking and the silence of the forest was both comforting and disconcerting!

As we sat next to each other looking at the beauty surrounding us I knew I had made the right choice, because come rain or shine a place like Kolabryn will always be romantic!